The writing was on the wall when THQ filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month, and now that writing has been etched in stone. After a 22-hour auction, the major publisher's component parts have been divided and sold off in five separate chunks to outside investors.

Company CEO Brian Farrell and President Jason Rubin confirmed the news in a letter to employees today. The bidding resulted in the following proposed sales of THQ's studios and franchise licenses/copyrights, which still have to be approved by the bankruptcy court:

Sega

To purchaseRelic (developer of Warhammer 40K and Company of Heroes 2) for $26.6 million.(Interestingly, Bethesda Softworks owner Zenimax media came just short of winning this portion with a $26.3 million bid.)

Koch Media

To purchase Volition (developer of the Saints Row and Red Faction games) for about $22.3 million.

To purchase THQ Montreal (developer of the upcoming 1666, among others) for $2.5 million

To purchase the license to South Park: The Stick of Truth for about $3.26 million (though South Park Studios is putting up some legal argument over that part of the sale)

Darksiders developer Vigil Games received no bids and unfortunatelywill be shut down. Most current employees at THQ's other studios will likely be retained or rehired by the new owners, the letter says, but there's a chance some positions may not be considered necessary in the new ownership structure.